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06/04/2014 by
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Twitter: It Smells Like Spam In The Morning!

We all seem to love Twitter and we all really hate spam. Every time you open up your e-mail or social network account you’re bound to see at least one or two pieces from less than reputable sources.

Twitter: It Smells Like Spam In The Morning!

Of course, at this point, this is a part of the Internet ecosystem, but lately, one social network has been riddled with this stuff.

Twitter, which is a juggernaut among social networks, has been experiencing a lapse in filtering. As of March, there have been news stories talking specifically about a massive botnet attacking Twitter.

While it didn’t escalate to an extreme size, there is a real lingering fear that spam might take over the little blue bird’s nest.

The question remains though; how did the botnet function and how can you protect yourself from these issues?

Twitter: The Botnet

The thing about spams is that most of the time, they don’t come from human users. They’re usually automated creations that are spread through a number of ways. The botnet that hit Twitter was designed to create these spam messages, but this is where it gets interesting.

Twitter: It Smells Like Spam In The Morning! - Read the Story by Jenna Corteza for ViralBlog.com

You see, there wasn’t just one profile; there were 35,000 following each other and re-tweeting themselves all across the social network. The program would find random user generated tweets and then reply with a spam message.

As you can see, with such a wide network of fake friends these individual posts would get a ton of exposure. It wasn’t just limited to public posts though. Most of the time, inboxes would also be the target of malicious attack.

The Major Side Effects of Twitter Spam

The genius of using Twitter as a means to spread spam is that it could also send viruses to other users. Once you click a suspicious link, they could gain access to your account and then start spreading messages from your account.

Twitter: It Smells Like Spam In The Morning! - Read the Story by Jenna Corteza for ViralBlog.com

Since your page is considered safe, the chances that your real life friends would click on those links become higher.

On top of that, spam is also very annoying, and it’s also likely that your friends will un-follow you because of the trash links. This actually makes it hard to identify reputable sources and accounts, which makes businesses flounder a bit.

Whether they’re about real offers regarding synthetic grass or just a start up trying to get attention, it’s gotten harder to build trust online because of bad bots.

At the end of it, some real life companies suffer because people mistake them for bot accounts.

How You Can Prevent Twitter Spam

There are a lot simple ways through which you can protect your account, but prevention is always the best medicine. If you take the time to make your account a little more secure, you’ll find that you’ll be less susceptible to involuntary loss of control.

1. Do not fool around with your apps. Since the Internet has been growing, a lot of open source languages and programs have been getting exposure. Unfortunately, since these programs and languages are also free, it has become easier to create malicious software. However, apps also improve the way we interact with our social networks.

So before you go around and look for apps, make sure the source is a safe and secure one. Simply Google reviews or information regarding the company itself; all the information is online anyway. If you do manage to find spam spreading sources, make sure to do your part and report the account to Twitter.

2. Avoid obvious phishing and @Replies. Ah yes, the most effective means to get a person’s attention is to give them what they want. If you find that you’ve been gaining some sway from random strangers, then bots have probably targeted your account. Sometimes it could be a simple “Hey! Look at this for some laughs” or something more subtle like message relating to your post.

The solution to this is very simple; just don’t click those links that come with each reply and message. If you find yourself tempted at the idea of replying, don’t go for the reply button just yet. Go to the user’s main profile and check if they’ve been posting duplicate content over and over again.

3. Change your password on a regular basis. This goes for every one of your online accounts. Whether it’s your email, social network account, or something more serious like admin account, change your password constantly. Also, make sure that you have at least 3 passwords so that you can switch them around whenever you can.

My Opinion

Inevitably, there’s no way you can protect yourself from spam. To reiterate, spam is a part of the Internet ecosystem and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

However, by using the steps above, you’ll be able protect yourself a little bit more. So far though, Twitter has been rolling out update after update, sometimes at the cost of their site.

Yeah, maybe we should take a bit of a break from the little blue bird.

What About You?
What’s your frustration on Twitter spam? We all get smarter from peer discussions, so share your opinion.

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About the Author
Jenny Corteza is the creative force behind POP Paddleboards. An avid writer and sports enthusiast she is on the cutting edge of the latest of recreational devices and inventions. She enjoys the landscape of social media and knows the ins and outs therein.